One word of caution when weighting Chins/Pullups/Dips; be sure to do at least one warmup set, and maybe more if they're the first exercise of the day. Any of them are very stressful on the shoulders and biceps tendons, and these areas need to be loose and warm before piling on the weight.

Thanks; I had a productive day, capping a very productive week, closing a productive 3-week cycle. I'm going into this deload already fired-up to get back to work the following week!

That giant sandwich was my wife's suggestion. She bought a monster-size loaf of fresh Pumpernickel rye, and it was calling our names! We grilled them in a grill pan with a little butter.

We've found that even in the dead of Winter, cherry and grape tomatoes are still excellent-quality. It takes a little work to slice up a bunch of them for a sandwich, but they're sure worth the effort. And besides tasting great, tomatoes are loaded with micronutrients.

It's really cool when stuff that tastes so good is actually really good for you.

Originally Posted by -Lucifer

I had to quote this so that people don't miss it. Excellent advice.

Thanks, -L. I probably should have bolded it in my post.

No brain, no gain.

You can't out-train bad nutrition.

Nothing good comes from negativity; where the mind goes, the body follows.

Completed this session on about 70 minutes. I bumped the weight on T-Bars, and got bumped back down to 5-rep sets. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to sustain progress on these, but I'm game to try. I'm eventually going to go back to a V handle with these, same as I was using before I switched to the T handle.

Picked up one rep @75 on Chins, while the 2-plater stayed at 2 reps. The 2 goes right up, but then a third try goes about an inch! I'll continue to work on these; the goal is 90x5.

Added a couple of reps on Cable Rows. I really like these; good ROM, and they provide a nice lat pump.

Duplicated sets-across on GMs today, so I'll add a little weight next time around.

Post meal today was a grilled Pastrami on Pumpernickel rye sandwich with pepper cheese, lettuce, tomato, and spicy mustard, along with a bowl of white bean chili and a glass of milk. On the side were a dill pickle, some Kalamata olives, and a small lemon rice Greek grape leaf roll.

No brain, no gain.

You can't out-train bad nutrition.

Nothing good comes from negativity; where the mind goes, the body follows.

Completed this session on about 70 minutes. I bumped the weight on T-Bars, and got bumped back down to 5-rep sets. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to sustain progress on these, but I'm game to try. I'm eventually going to go back to a V handle with these, same as I was using before I switched to the T handle.

Picked up one rep @75 on Chins, while the 2-plater stayed at 2 reps. The 2 goes right up, but then a third try goes about an inch! I'll continue to work on these; the goal is 90x5.

Added a couple of reps on Cable Rows. I really like these; good ROM, and they provide a nice lat pump.

Duplicated sets-across on GMs today, so I'll add a little weight next time around.

Post meal today was a grilled Pastrami on Pumpernickel rye sandwich with pepper cheese, lettuce, tomato, and spicy mustard, along with a bowl of white bean chili and a glass of milk. On the side were a dill pickle, some Kalamata olives, and a small lemon rice Greek grape leaf roll.

good job Will...love the meal pics

Some People are nothing more than a skid-mark on the toilet bowl of life, never let them bring you down the drain with them
Currently ranked 6th Total @Powerliftingwatch.com Masters rankings @220 Raw
# 36 Mens 1565 RAW TOTAL
UPA NAtionals Winner 4-17-2011

Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.

Our gym has 3 Oly bars and two of them are taped. All three usually are taped when I'm not going, but as soon as I get back I cut the tape off of one to DL. I think the "old" lifter/worker in the gym started that pansy idea of taping the bars.

Thanks, Rob. I'm working hard to get a little bit stronger before Spring.

Right now, I'm working primarily to get stronger in the basic lifts so that I can then use the added strength to lift more weight in the higher rep range that will make me (hopefully) bigger, furthur down the road. For myself, I get stronger around 5 reps, and bigger around 8. But then, again, that's me.

I'm simply going by past experience as far as knowing what will work for me.

For most people, I suggest that once they can do 10 good pullups/chins (whichever), they then strap on enough weigh to bust them back down to 6 reps, and then work to progress that weight back up to 10 reps, at which time they'll add enough additional weight to drop them back to 6 reps, etc. This same advice, IMO, goes for Dips, too.

That said, some people respond to higher reps. It's like everything else in bodybuilding, Rob; pick a starting point/rep scheme, and then see how it works for you, given a fair trial time. If/when something doesn't seem to pan out, change one of the parameters, and try that for a stretch.

One word of caution when weighting Chins/Pullups/Dips; be sure to do at least one warmup set, and maybe more if they're the first exercise of the day. Any of them are very stressful on the shoulders and biceps tendons, and these areas need to be loose and warm before piling on the weight.

Thanks for that Bill. That makes complete sense re: the rep range and teh weight. I will switch it up on my end and go for a weight that puts me in in the 6 rep range. And I hear you on warming up...very important. Thanks again Bill

I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson

Good deal, Rich! We can have a "Loaf-Off" and see who can lift the least!

Originally Posted by FastCatChamp

What kills me when looking at your numbers from the workout are the seated cable rows. ONE ARM 120# sets. That is a weight I completed with two arms awhile back.

The weight is relative, FC. I'll put on there as much or as little as I think I need in order to feel the target muscle doing the work.

I also added in the front raises and the leaners per your advice. I have along ways to go with them as I began with 20# for each lift. Felt good though. Thanks for the stout advice.

I'm happy to be able to help.

With isolation exercises, it's all about making the target muscle do the work. And with shoulder stuff, it's easy to start using momentum to move the weight. It's best to avoid this, and control the rep all the way up and all the way down. When you can feel the target starting to burn, you know you're doing it right.

Oh yeah....knowing that you are a football fan....help us Bears fans out and join our bandwagon during tomorrow's NFC game.

To be honest, I don't have a favorite team; I have favorite players and coaches scattered all across the League.

That being said, I'm expecting the Bears to win that one. All I ask of any playoff is for it to be a competitive game; I hate blowouts this time of the season.

Urlacher is The Man, and has been getting it done in Chicago on a consistent basis for a long time.

Originally Posted by 2nd_chance

These are full of awesomeness Bill. How close to a PR are you on the +90?

TBH, I dug through my old journals a little bit the other day to find this out, but gave up the search before I found anything definitive. I think I did 90x5 in the past, but can't remember when it was so that I can verify it. I think I'll need to quit eating for a month in order to get back to that wt/reps these days!

How did you like the Steelers-Ravens game? It never disappoints does it? Ben is 7-0 against them lol. I'm sure Mrs. IW enjoyed the game!

LOL! That game was everything I expected it would be, just like every othjer time those two teams show up on the same field! My wife is a trouper; she never got down when the Steelers were losing. How about Antonio Brown? That kid made a heck of a catch down on the 4-yard line with 2 minutes left. Not a bad pass, either.

My only hope now is that the remainder of the playoff games live up to that one. Jets/Pats is a mixed bag; I don't see how anything is going to be much different than the last time they played and Brady handed the Jets their butts. I just hope for competitive games, and no blowouts.

Originally Posted by supy

good job Will...love the meal pics

Thanks, Mike! Gotta eat, so it might as well be tasty, as well as nutritious!

Thanks, OTL! I wanted to put a stamp on that last heavy session before I took a break, and feel like I got the job done.

Originally Posted by storm1507

Good Sunday morning Bill.

Our gym has 3 Oly bars and two of them are taped. All three usually are taped when I'm not going, but as soon as I get back I cut the tape off of one to DL. I think the "old" lifter/worker in the gym started that pansy idea of taping the bars.

Good morning, Will!

I can't imagine taping a bar; before too long, there'd be gooey black muck all over everything in the gym. Not too good.

Who do you have winning today?

Going strictly with my head and not my heart, the Bears and the Pats. I think the 'Hawks were fortunate to have caught the Saints on a bad day, and I also think the Pats/Jets is going to be a rerun of a few weeks' ago's game between them. But we'll just have to see; you know what they say about "Any given Sunday."

Originally Posted by pharmamarketer

Thanks for that Bill. That makes complete sense re: the rep range and teh weight. I will switch it up on my end and go for a weight that puts me in in the 6 rep range. And I hear you on warming up...very important. Thanks again Bill

You're welcome; I'm happy to help if I can.

The warmups are always important, but they're even more so when you add weight to a bodyweight exercise. Even if a guy can do Pulldowns with the equivalent weight, it's just not the same (especially on the biceps tendons) as when you strap on weight and do Pullups/Chins.

Originally Posted by -Lucifer

No worries, young chap. I got the top spot. What you said may sound very simple, but most of us tend to forget about the simple stuff. I know I do.

I'm guilty at times too, -L. It's real easy to get complacent after a person has been training for a long time. You tend to take things for granted, and from there, cut corners in an effort to "save time."

And that goes beyond just being sure to warm up adequately. It's mandatory to stay focused on the job at hand, and not allow our mind to wander. Always setting up the equipment properly, using the safety features of the equipment, not leaning or bending awkwardly to pick up a dumbbell or bar, etc., are things for us to keep in mind.

Originally Posted by Buffycat3

Hi Bill

I tried looking back at your previous posts on your Back Workouts...
Do you do seated rows?
If so, what position are your arms? Are elbows close to your sides?

thanks!

Hi, Joan! I do Seated Rows occasionally (I prefer Barbell or T-Bar over cables, but that's just me). While I've used both a wide grip (similar to a Barbell Row), and a narrow grip on Cable Rows, what is a bit more effective for me is to use a V handle, and keep my elbows in close. I always feel that a little more in the center of my back.

Here's a pic showing the V handle I referrenced, looped under a bar for V-Bar Rows. I'll snap a cable from a low pulley onto this handle, and use it for Close-Grip Seated Rows.

As with all variables, they require a bit of experimenting to see what will work for your body mechanics. And as with all back exercises, what's important is to start out with a good stretch, and then pull the shoulder blades all the way back as far as they'll go while at the same time pushing the chest out, in effect, trying to make the shoulder blades touch in the center of your back. Of course, they won't actually touch, but it's that motion that calls the back muscles into play rather than just having the biceps do all the work.

No brain, no gain.

You can't out-train bad nutrition.

Nothing good comes from negativity; where the mind goes, the body follows.

Ironwill2008 V2.0

Today is the first of a week's worth of deload workouts. I cut my regular working weights by half, and keep the rep counts about the same as if I were training with full load. It's an opportunity for my joints and attachments to recover from the previous 3 weeks' heavy training. Today's training was;

Walked straight through here in about 25 minutes. Used perfect form, got a bit of an arm pump, and called it a day.

I'll do a light leg workout tomorrow. That's all she wrote.

Whipped up a quick Post meal today, so we wouldn't miss too much of the Bears-Seahawks. A couple of poached eggs on whole wheat toast, and some fried Granny Smiths along with a glass of milk did the trick. A mug of Starbucks French Roast washed it all down.

No brain, no gain.

You can't out-train bad nutrition.

Nothing good comes from negativity; where the mind goes, the body follows.

Pumpernickle bread? I've never heard of that never mind tried it.. sounds gorgeous!

Happy deload week Bill

Thanks, Dee; I'll make the best of deload.

Pumpernickel is a very dark-colored, dense Rye bread. It is super-tasty, and makes the best sandwiches ever. If you can find some locally, I'm sure you'd love it. In that pic, that bread is nearly that dark even when it's not grilled.

No brain, no gain.

You can't out-train bad nutrition.

Nothing good comes from negativity; where the mind goes, the body follows.

Have fun with teh deload. ANother question for you Bill. Do you ever consider taking a week off completely rather than deloading? Hope you enjoyed the games. I am a long time Jets fan so I am thrilled and I feel like a kid on Christmas this morning. Can't wait to get to work and gloat

I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. ~ Thomas Jefferson

I like how high you go on chins to get the full contraction. I see you're on fire with the gradual gains everywhere.

One of the very first things I was taught when I started training properly was the absolute necessity of progression, and the need to have some type of plan to always implement that factor. It has served me as well as anything else I have ever learned about this sport.

For me, actual changes in the mirror come far too slowly these days to be any kind of an indicator of progress. The only way I can qualify anything is by watching the numbers, and the direction they take.

What do you like about journalling on here Will?

Many things actually, Brian. I like the accountability, and the opportunity to interact with like-minded people. This last itme is especially valuable to me since I train, for all intents and purposes, alone. It helps me to not feel like I'm working in a vacuum.

And while I certainly don't claim to know it all (I'll never live long enough to learn even 5% of what's involved in this sport. true story.), I've been fortunate to have learned at least a solid basic understanding of what's required to build mass, and I feel obligated to pass it on, to whatever extent I'm able. I was very fortunate to have fallen under the guidance of a knowledgeable mentor in about my 2nd year of training, and I'm still on the same path he showed me. And although I lost contact with him many years ago, I'd put money on the fact that he'd be pi$$ed if he thought I wasn't trying to help others the way I'd been helped.

Do you journal any where else?

Only in my written logbook, Brian. I have written record of every workout since my first day of training. Very valuable information, BTW.

I occasionally lurk on a couple of other bodybuilding sites, but they're either overrun with broscience advocates who disdain any type of real science and/or common sense, or they're inhabited by bodybuilders who I just can't relate to, being natty. BB.com has it's problems, like any huge site would have, but IMO, it's far and away the very best on teh 'netz.

We've recently seen the promotion of a couple of new moderators who I'm certain will (and actually already have) make this an even better, smoother-run site.

Originally Posted by pharmamarketer

Have fun with teh deload. ANother question for you Bill. Do you ever consider taking a week off completely rather than deloading?

Thanks, Rob; I'll make the best of it.

Weeks 'off' don't suit me for a number of reasons; I love to train, I need to be doing something all the time to keep my edge, and I need the practice to keep my exercise form up to snuff.

I can't imagine what I'd do if I just took a week completely away from the gym; I just don't feel that complete absence of exercise is a good thing. The obvious exception to this of course, is in the case of some injury that would preclude all exercise. Another scenario where complete rest would be appropriate would be where a trainee has gone for so long at 100% effort that he/she has been regressing for several weeks. I hate to use the term, "overtraining," but it is a possibility, and the only cure is complete rest. The other side of the coin from this condition is to deload regularly on schedule, so as to never allow one's self to get into that condition in the first place.

Another angle to consider; in all the years I've been training, I've seen a dozen guys IRL (and even many journalers), take a 'week off,' and disappear forever. And while we're (journalers) not the 'norm,' or to be considered even just 'casual' trainees, it's something to think about.

The only time I ever took a break from actual gym training was the two weeks my wife and I spent traveling across Europe a couple of years ago. We stayed so busy with our tour group that there was no time to get in even a short workout. However, we were walking all day long, every day, so it's not as if we were just lazing! When I returned to training, I took one whole week to train at 50%, and then the following week I went right back on my previous routine at full speed.

Hope you enjoyed the games. I am a long time Jets fan so I am thrilled and I feel like a kid on Christmas this morning. Can't wait to get to work and gloat

LOL! They played a great game yesterday. Especially the defense. That's the first time all season where I saw Brady to be somewhat clueless as to what to do to get the Pats moving on a consistent basis. Darrelle Revis played as good a game as I've ever seen a DB play; that guy is phenomenal.

Originally Posted by BergMuscle

Happy deloading.

Hey, thanks, Dan. Going to make the best of it, for sure!

Originally Posted by storm1507

C R A P.....I scrolled quickly down to your workout and thought, "Hey, my heavy seated calf raises the other day weren't so bad". I then got to arms and realized it was your deload week again.

LOL! Just going to walk through the sessions this week, Will, and build up a head of steam to hit the following week at full speed ahead!

Jets vs Steelers shoud be a good game.

Yep. That one may turn out to be the crown jewel of the entire season.

Last edited by ironwill2008; 01-17-2011 at 10:17 AM.

No brain, no gain.

You can't out-train bad nutrition.

Nothing good comes from negativity; where the mind goes, the body follows.

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